As most of my readers know, I am a huge fan of Archetypal Literary Criticism.

This concept is a little different than what we learn in high school. The formal approach to literature looks at setting, plot, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution in a work of fiction in order to assess and critique its value and character.

The archetypal approach traces commonalities in human behavior that surface in works of fiction, because literature reflects life.

We all share certain human characteristics and behavioral patterns – simply because we are human. Those archetypes or molds are part of our species. For example, coming of age is a typical pattern we might find in many works of fiction.The most common of these patterns is the heroic quest.

Much of the archetypal approach to literature is derived from the studies of Carl Jung and his theories on the collective unconscious. There are human qualities we inherit and share, much like animals inherit instinct. These patterns can be found in literature, and it is a cool way to read a book and derive more meaning from it.

I leave you with a quote from Carl Jung:

“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”

The tale centers around a main character named Harry, who receives a cut on his leg while on a hunting safari in East Africa with his wife, Helen. It seems our protagonist neglects to disinfect the minor wound, which leads to gangrene.

As Harry lies ill while awaiting a plane from Nairobi, Kenya to transport him to a hospital, he begins a series of flashbacks on his life. Anything more, and I will spoil the story.

I can say, however, that every time I read Snows, I come away with different feelings about my own life. It is well worth the read.

It was made into a movie production in 1952 starring Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, and Ava Gardner.

When American author author F. Scott Fitzgeraldpenned The Great Gatsby published in 1925, little did he know it would rank number one in the eyes of many critics for the remainder of the century and beyond.

Set largely on Long Island’s North Shore in 1922, the novel deals with the prosperity of the Roaring Twenties, Prohibition, bootlegging, shallowness of the wealthy class, greed, and most of all, the concept of the American Dream.

This book is a must read even for twenty-first century bookworms seeking new material. It remains amazingly relevant to every period of economic strife or growth encountered in the last hundred years.

Along with To Have and Have Not, the critics of the ‘50s bashed Hemingway for his sixth novel, Across the River and Into the Trees. It remains one of my favorites, and in the latter part of the twentieth century, the critics did respond to the book more favorably.

The novel published in 1950 by Charles Scribner’s Sons had been previously presented in a serialized version by Cosmopolitan.

This book traces the psychological dilemma faced by yet another Hemingway hero. Following four heart attacks, he must come to grips with his own impending death. Like all Papa’s lead characters, he does so with dignity, and grace under pressure.

Did Hemingway lose his touch in 1950? Certainly not, and he proved it a couple of years later with the release of The Old Man and the Sea.

This article written by Ernest Hemingway was originally published in Esquire Magazine in 1936. He called it An Ornithological Letter because it centered on attacks by birds in Africa upon wounded and dying people in Ethiopia.

The real story was directed at Mussolini, who invaded Ethiopia in 1935.

It is easy to see from this article how Hemingway’s attitude toward war and dictators was developing. About Il Duce, he says he is “not allowing the citizens of his corporate state to see the eggs broken in the making of his imperial omelet.” Hemingway does not blame the Italian people. He concludes his article with these words: “And me, I wish the foot soldiers luck; but I wish they could learn who is their enemy – and why.”